Animal or Human
by TTFmichael
Summary: The 100 are being sent down to the ground, and with them is Jackson Morrows. The Animal of the Ark is what he is called. Everyone believes that he is the monster he seems to be, but what they don't know is that he has his reasons for what he is. How is he related to Clarke and how much does he actually know about why her father was floated?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first story for The 100 hope you all enjoy. **

* * *

Metal against metal screeched through the air, the guards barked orders at the inmates. The inmates were riled up as usual, they were fighting amongst each other and the guards were trying to break it up when it had gotten too far. Among the inmates that were fighting was Jackson Morrows, Jackson was a member of the guards and he used his position to host underground fights. He was the king of the underground fighting rings before he was finally picked up. Now he was the top fighter in the prison arena and the one the guards always bet on.

Jackson was pounding on the inmate that tried to harm someone under his protection, and he didn't take it lightly when someone did that. The guards were trying to peel Jackson off the other inmate who was bleeding and unconscious. It took four guards to finally restrain Jackson and put him in his cell. He was still fuming when he was thrown into the cell, and he started kicking and punching the wall to let his frustrations out.

"I see staying in this cell hasn't cooled you off." A familiar voice said as Jackson turned to his cell door to see Abigail Griffin.

"Abigail I'd say it's nice to see you again, but frankly it's not." Jackson snapped and sat down to cool off. "What do you want?"

"The council has decided to send 100 inmates to the ground to see if it's livable."

"That's a long shot, is it the council's last ditch effort before they start killing thousands of people off."

"I'm not going to let that happen." Abigail responded "I need you to go to the ground to protect her."

Jackson shook his head and yelled, "This is your fault, your husband died trying to tell the Ark the truth, Clarke was imprisoned for knowing the truth, and I was imprisoned for helping him. Before he was spaced I made him a promise, I promised to protect Clarke in prison and that's what I've been doing. Anyone who tried to do anything to her, I put a stop to it. I keep my promises. I'll go to the ground not for you, for the promise that I made and for her."

Abigail nodded, "Thank you." Abigail moved toward Jackson with a needle. "I need to sedate you now, and then you'll wake up on the drop ship heading toward Earth." Jackson felt the needle pierce his neck and he felt himself falling into unconsciousness. "I know it's my fault and I can't take what I did back." Abigail whispered.

* * *

Jackson awoke on the drop ship and looked around getting used to his new surroundings. He was strapped to a chair and saw himself surrounded by his fellow inmates. He tried to find Clarke in the mess of people. He saw people panicking, a few of them started to cry.

He didn't care about any of them, it's not like he didn't have friends. He just didn't trust anyone of them. When he was in the guard he started a ring of underground fights, not to be a criminal but to control the soon to be criminals. The fights were his way of controlling those that would act out. And the money that he got from the fights would be given to the clinic. Those that he associated with would stab him in the back if he let his guard down. In the prison it was the same, he controlled the chaos through violence. There was one person he did care about and that was Clarke, she didn't know it was him protecting her in the prison.

Jackson finally spotted Clarke sitting next to Wells, the chancellor's son. The two of them were best friends until the chancellor floated Clarke's father. Clarke blamed Wells for her father's death when it was not his fault. Jackson spotted an empty seat near Clarke so he got up and headed there. At the same time another person stood up and it was the spacewalker Finn. Probably the most idiotic crime a person could get locked up for, he wasted months of oxygen to go for a walk in space. Jackson sat across from Clarke and buckled in.

Wells looked at Jackson and he sat down. He was shocked and a little frightened to see the Animal of the Ark sitting with Clarke. From what he heard from his father and rumors around the Ark, Jackson was cruel and a monster. "What do you want?" Wells asked trying to sound brave.

Jackson fastened his belt and looked over to Wells, "I'm sitting, you got a problem with that." Jackson made a move towards Wells and he jumped back in his seat. "Relax Wells I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not the animal that I've been made out to be." Jackson's eyes moved over to Clarke who had her arms crossed. "Got something to say Clarke?"

"You're not an animal? I saw what you did to that poor guy, you beat him unconscious and you kept beating him. You're a monster just like the rest of the murderers here with us." Clarke replied with judgment in her voice.

Jackson shrugged his shoulders and laid back in his chair, "He deserved that beating; he tried to go after someone under my protection. I made sure that he wouldn't go after her again." Jackson stopped realizing what he had said.

"Did she ask you to do that for her? You think whoever you're protecting wanted you to do that." Clarke snapped back.

Jackson was shocked to hear that, it had never occurred to him that Clarke wouldn't want his protection. "I made a promise to protect her and I keep my word."

All of a sudden the TV screens lit up with a message from Chancellor Jaha.

_Prisoners of The Ark, you hear me now. You have been given a second chance. And as your chance, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If The Ark were surviving better, we would have sent others; frankly we're sending you because of your crimes have made you expendable. Your site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather is a military base built within a Mount is to be start with enough non-parachutes to sustain 300 people. _

Finn was floating upside down and everyone was cheering for him. Wells told Finn to strap in, but Finn just ignored him and kept on going his merry way. Jackson was watching Clarke even though she was mad at him, all of a sudden the drop ship jolted throwing Finn and two others that decided to follow his example.

"Finn! Are you ok?" Clarke screamed over the chaos that was happening. The whole ship was rattling and everyone was screaming. Jackson watched as Clarke and Wells were yelling at each other about Clarke's father. The drop ship continued to rumble some more until it slowly stopped.

It all seemed fine as people began to release themselves from their belts. Clarke went to check on the other two that were thrown when the drop ship jolted. Jackson followed her to make sure she didn't do anything that would endanger her.

"The outer door's on the lower level! Let's go!" Someone yelled.

"We can't open the doors." Clarke yelled and raced down to the lower level to head people off, but a guy in a guard's uniform stood in front of the door.

"Just back it up guys!" He said as he held his arms out blocking people from getting past him. Jackson looked at the guy in the guard's uniform and recognized him. Bellamy Blake, only thing was he wasn't a guard so why the uniform?

"Stop!" Clarke yelled. Everyone stopped and looked at her. Clarke began pushing her way through the group of kids. "The air could be toxic!"

"If the air is toxic, we'll be dead anyway." Bellamy replied. Jackson made his way to where Clarke was moving passed the crowd because none of them wanted to be near the Animal.

"Bellamy?" A younger girl said as she was hanging off of a ladder. Bellamy looked at her with a smile as she reached him.

"My God, look at how big you are." He said with a smile as she threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"What the hell are you wearing? A guard's uniform?"

"I borrowed it to get onto the drop ship." Bellamy replied "Someone has got to keep an eye on you."

Clarke spoke up, "Where's your wrist band?

The girl turned around and said, "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year." Jackson looked on at the scene and it finally made sense, this girl was Octavia Blake.

"That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor." A girl in the back of the crowd yelled. Octavia then launched herself at the girl, but Bellamy grabbed her before she could attack.

"Octavia, Octavia, no, let's give them something else to remember you by." He said.

"Yeah, like what?" She responded.

He smiled, "Like being the first person on the ground in 100 years." He then turned to open the door and he yanked down the lever and the door flew open.

Light filled the doorway and it was bright. Everyone was speechless at what they saw. Green trees were all around, and Jackson could feel the sunlight on his skin. It felt like freedom, like everything in the world was theirs for the taking. He stepped out onto the ramp and breathed in the air. Octavia walked down the ramp and jumped off of it and screamed, "We're back bitches!"

* * *

Everyone raced off into the forest to enjoy their freedom. To be the first humans back on Earth for 100 years, it was an amazing feeling. Jackson couldn't believe that it had actually worked; he thought for sure they wouldn't have made it. He looked over to Clarke who just jumped off the ramp and the look on her face was of pure happiness and amazement. Jackson couldn't help but stare and when Clarke's eyes met Jackson's her face turned from one of happiness to one on a mission.

Jackson watched her as she made her way to a cliff out looking the forest and cliffs. She had a map in her hands and looked to be in serious thought. Jackson watched from afar as Finn made his way towards Clarke making sure he wouldn't try anything. He was sure that Finn wouldn't dare hurt Clarke, and if he did he would regret it. Jackson looked over at the other inmates enjoying their freedom, and he smiled. It was his first smile in what seemed to be forever. He was happy to be free, but on the other hand these inmates being free meant more dangers towards Clarke and himself. Jackson may have had some control in prison, but this was new territory, things would be different. First thing he needed was a weapon of some sort; while the others were distracted he made his way back inside the drop ship to find one once he was sure that Clarke would be okay for the time being.

Clarke laid out her map and began to trace their location and how far they were from Mount Weather. Wells approached Clarke, "We've got a problem. The communications system is dead. I went to the roof, a dozen panels are missing. The heat fried the wires."

Clarke frowned the replied, "Well, all that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather. See? Look this is us, and this is where we need to get to if we want to survive." Clarke and Wells were silent as a guy with goggles walked up. He smiled and looked over Clarke's shoulder to see the map.

"Ah, cool a map. They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer." Wells got irritated and started to push the kid back.

"Do you mind?" As the two were about to fight, a group of guys walked up.

"Hands off of him, he's with us." One of the guys said. Wells looked and could see that the group was serious.

"Relax; we're just trying to figure out where we are." Wells said as he stepped back holding his arms up.

"We're on the ground." Bellamy said as he entered the conversation. "Is that not good enough for you?" A bunch of people were gathering around to listen.

Wells responded trying to get some of the others to listen to him, "We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority." Jackson had just exited the drop ship to see the scene happening. He quickly made his way towards Clarke in case anything happened.

"Screw your father!" Octavia yelled "What, you think you're in charge her, you, your little princess, and her Animal." Clarke turned around to see who Octavia was talking about and her eyes landed on Jackson. She thought was the girl Jackson protecting her; she couldn't hide the shock on her face. "Oh didn't you know he was the one making sure no one messed with you in prison." Jackson was sick of hearing Octavia talk and started to walk towards her to be stopped by Clarke's arm. Jackson looked at her and she mouthed no. Now that she knew she was going to give him orders, Jackson pushed her arm down slightly and stayed.

"Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke began "We need to get to Mount Weather, not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get, and the harder this'll be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a 20 mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now."

Bellamy responded, "I've got a better idea. You three go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." Jackson looked at Bellamy with distaste did he really believe that he was one of the privileged and did he really believe that he was going to be the one in charge?

"You're not listening." Wells started "We all need to go." Then one of the guys pushed him from behind. Jackson looked at who did it and knew it was John Murphy, he was always one to pick on others in lock up.

"Look at this everyone the Chancellor of Earth." Everyone laughed as Murphy kicked out Wells' leg out from under him. Clarke tried to help him up, but one of Murphy's men grabbed her stopping her. Jackson grabbed the guy's arm and broke it. The guy screamed in pain, and Jackson gave the other guys a look that told them to stay away.

"You alright Clarke?" Jackson asked as he helped her up.

"I'm fine go help Wells." She responded as she shook her arm free from Jackson's grasp. Jackson made his way towards the fight, but Finn dropped down in between Murphy and Wells.

"The kid has got one leg. How about you wait till it's a fair fight?" Finn said.

Octavia then stepped forward, "Hey Spacewalker, rescue me next." Finn smiled and a couple other people laughed though Bellamy didn't look to happy. Clarke went to tend to Wells' leg along with Jackson.

"So Mount Weather when do we leave?" Finn asked.

"Right now." Clarke stood up and looked towards Wells. "We'll be back tomorrow with food."

"How're the two of you going to carry enough food for 100?" Wells asked.

"Make it four." Finn replied as he grabbed Goggles and an Asian kid. "Can we go now?"

"Sounds like a party." Octavia said as she walked up. "Make it 5." Bellamy followed her and grabbed her arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Going for a walk." She responded.

"Don't tell me you all forgot about little old me?" The others turned to see Jackson standing against a tree. "It'll be 6."

Clarke ignored Jackson for the time being and noticed scratches on Finn's bracelet. "Were you trying to take this off?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah so?"

"So, this wristband transmits all your vital signs to the Ark. Take it off and they'll think you're dead."

"Should I care?" Finn replied.

"Well I don't know, do you want the people you love to think you're dead?" Finn stared at Clarke as he lectured her "Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying." Everyone was silent unsure of what to say at that moment. "Okay, now let's go." Clarke said.

As the group headed off into the forest Jackson knew that Clarke was going to confront him about what Octavia said. He had tried so hard to make sure Clarke didn't know that it was him protecting him and within the first ten minutes on Earth it was out in the open. Things were going to get more complicated now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow didn't really expect anyone to react to the first chapter. Thank you all for the support.  
Guest(Ari): Here's the second chapter for you, and Jackson is 17. **

* * *

As they made their way through the forest Clarke grabbed Jackson's arm. "We need to talk."

Jackson knew what this was about why did he protect her in prison. Jackson looked back to see the other four far enough away so that they wouldn't hear anything.

"What about Clarke?" He responded knowing all too well what she wanted to know.

Clarke looked at him with her blue eyes intensely, "You know what I'm talking about, why you protected me in prison? Am I the girl that you promised to protect? Who did you promise?"

Jackson sighed, "Why should I answer you Clarke? All you need to know is that I'm here to protect you. What difference does it make if you know why?"

"Because I don't want you to protect me the way you have been. You nearly killed that guy in prison, and you broke the other guy's arm."

"I've had enough of this." Jackson started to walk away.

"No!" Clarke grabbed his arm stopping him in his tracks. "You are going to tell me everything." Jackson was getting frustrated with Clarke and he was getting tired of holding everything in it all just came out. "Yeah I almost killed that guy in prison and you want to know why! Will it make you sleep better at night? Fine, Clarke I almost killed him because he and a couple of his buddies were planning on having their way with you. The reason you didn't hear about the others is because I made sure that it wasn't public. But this guy he was bragging about it, and I wasn't going to let him get off easy. So yeah I beat him within an inch of his life, but he deserved it. Are you happy now?" Jackson shook Clarke off his arm and stormed off.

Clarke stood there unsure of what to do. The Animal of the Ark was her protector, even though she was locked in solitary she knew that if the inmates wanted in they could have gotten in. The whole time she was in prison it had been Jackson protecting her from the rest of the monsters. All she could think about was why? What was so special about her that Jackson would put his life on the line to save her? Perhaps he really wasn't the monster people make him out to be.

* * *

"Looks like the princess and her animal are having a fight." Octavia said as Finn put a purple flower in her hair.

"That my friend is game." Jasper (Goggles) whispered to Monty.

"That my friend is poison sumac." Monty responded to which Octavia combed the flower out of her hair. "It's medicinal."

"Monty's family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark." Jasper said.

"Hey guys, would you try to keep up?" Clarke said to the four of them.

"Come on Clarke, how do you block all this out?" Finn asked

"Well it's simple. I wonder why we haven't seen any animals. Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty though." She then continued to head off. "Come on."

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac." Octavia whispered

"I wouldn't suggest it." The four of them turned around to see Jackson behind them. "Now come on move." The four of them continued walking.

"So Jackson what exactly did you do to get busted?" Finn asked carefully.

"Relax Finn; I'm not going to hurt you. It's what you've heard I was caught for hosting underground fights. I'm sure you've heard I was also in the guard, it's true. I used my position in the guard to hide the fights, but I trusted someone I shouldn't have and they ratted me out." Jackson replied with his practiced version of how he got caught. No one knows he really got busted for helping out Clarke's father try to spread the truth. Knowing the truth on Earth would make no difference.

"So what's going on with you and the princess?" Octavia asked butting into the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Jackson replied.

"You two were fighting. We could see, hell even hear you yelling at her."

"It's none of your business Octavia maybe you should lay off." Finn added. Jackson was tired of being asked questions and decided to go ahead of the four of them and as he passed Clarke he ignored her.

* * *

Jackson was frustrated; Clarke was never supposed to find out that he was protecting her. During his years in the guard he met the Griffins, he became close with Clarke's father and he owed him and Abigail. Jackson wasn't always a part of the guard, at first he was a criminal just like any other. Clarke's father Jacob saved Jackson's life when he was beaten to a pulp during a fight gone wrong. Abigail made sure that his care was off the books and that was Jackson's first meeting with the Griffins. From that day he owed them everything, they could have turned him in to the guard or left him there to die but instead they saved his life. So in return Jackson joined the guard to better himself, but his criminal side wasn't gone, he had been a criminal in order to survive and now he was both a criminal and a member of the guard. He used his position in the guard to climb the ranks of the criminal underworld, and made sure that he wouldn't get caught. He used all the assets he acquired to help the clinic and Jacob with whatever they needed. The only reason that the guard didn't come after him is because they never had any proof, just pure speculation and when he was finally captured for helping Jacob with his plan they branded him the Animal of the Ark. They had already floated Jacob for trying to tell the truth, they locked Clarke up for knowing the truth, and Jackson helped Jacob with the means to broadcast his message to the Ark. Jackson owed the Griffin's everything, and he paid his debts.

Jackson wanted to distance himself from Clarke in order to give her his full protection, not bogged down by emotions and friendship. He learned during his time as a criminal that those closest to you are the ones that can do the most damage. He cared for Clarke, but it was a fact that he needed to hide from her and himself if he was going to be the Animal to protect her.

Jackson had gone so far ahead that he must have strayed from the group. He cursed under his breath that he let himself get caught up in emotions, when he should be with Clarke making sure nothing bad happened to her. A female scream pierced the air and his stomach dropped believing it to be Clarke. He quickly raced to the location of the scream to see Octavia being dragged by something in the water. He quickly scanned to locate Clarke and he felt relief when he saw her safe on the ledge. Clarke had been smart enough to distract the creature with a rock allowing Jasper to save Octavia. As Jackson made his way to the group he felt everything move in slow motion as Clarke began to slip on the rocks into the water. Without thinking he dove into the water not caring that the creature was on its way to Clarke. He quickly wrapped his arm around Clarke and began swimming to the shore to make sure she was safe. He didn't even feel the creature attack him, he blocked it all out and thought only of her protection.

"Clarke are you ok?" Jackson asked frantically checking Clarke for any injuries. When he realized that she was injury free he sighed with relief. Then he looked into her eyes and they looked sad, he didn't understand why she looked so sad. "Clarke what's the matter?"

She slowly pointed to his arm and leg which had been scratched during the attack. "You're hurt." She said slowly trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"It's only a scratch nothing to worry about. I'm tough to kill." Jackson said with a smirk. "All that matters is that you're okay Clarke." And as those words left his mouth he collapsed. All that he heard were the others yelling his name.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it the second chapter of Animal or Human, hope you all enjoyed it. In the next chapter it will finish the first episode and we will have another conversation between Clarke and Jackson. I would appreciate some feedback from any who read this. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3 for all of you guys, I hope you all enjoy. In this chapter the first episode will end and you get some more of Jackson's thoughts. **

* * *

After Jackson collapsed the group decided to set up camp away from the river, Clarke tended to Octavia's leg and Jackson's injuries. Clarke worried about Jackson, it was her fault that he got injured if she didn't fall into the river then he would never have jumped into save her. She now understood that he didn't care about whether he lived or died only that she was safe. That didn't sit right with her, why was he so devoted to keep his promise? Who did he promise and what would make him go so far? She had to find out, it wasn't right that he kept putting himself in harm's way for her.

Clarke sat next to an unconscious Jackson and made sure that he was still stable. As far as his injuries went they were minor, the only reason that he would collapse was because of prior injuries. He must have been injured during the crash, but he's been working himself to the bone to protect her.

"How's he doing?" Octavia asked limping over to Clarke and sat down next to her

"He'll be fine after some rest; he's been running himself ragged."

"I bet he's something else, I couldn't believe it when I saw him dive into the river to save you. He didn't even think he just acted."

"I know I can't believe it. It all happened so fast." Clarke responded.

"He cares about you."

Clarke laughed, "I don't think so he's just keeping his promise to protect me."

Octavia got closer to Clarke, "You're in denial Clarke, yes he promised to protect you but no one goes that far to keep a promise unless they care about the person. He cares for you Clarke and from what I hear you may be the only one he actually cares for." Octavia got up and limped away. Clarke looked at Jackson as he laid there resting and thought about what Octavia said. Did Jackson care for her and was it possible that she cared for him?

* * *

Jackson woke up during the night stiff from his injuries. He looked around to see Octavia lying with Monty and Jasper sound asleep. Clarke and Finn were nowhere to be seen which made Jackson worry. He stumbled to stand up against a tree and looked out into the forest and was amazed by the sight that he saw. The forest was aglow with a blue light, it was breathtaking. It had a beauty to it that was incomparable to all the sights he had seen before in his life. As he let himself get lost in the beauty of the forest he felt calm for the first time in forever. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees and his eyes fell on Clarke smiling in amazement. Although he was injured it was a relief that she was alright. He began to walk towards Clarke, but stopped when he saw Finn next to her.

He felt upset at Finn and couldn't understand why. Finn wasn't a threat to Clarke, and that was when he realized he was falling for the girl he swore to protect. He couldn't believe that he was actually falling for Clarke; he didn't want to feel like this. He didn't believe he could protect Clarke if he gave into his emotions. He watched as Clarke smiled and laughed with Finn until he couldn't take it anymore. He walked away towards the river to get a drink and he sat down near the edge. His thoughts went back to the past day or so and realized everything had changed. On the Ark the dangers could be predicted and controlled, now on the ground everything was so chaotic nothing could be predicted. There were too many variables down on the ground, and he couldn't handle it like how he did on the Ark. He was just so tired of it all.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" Clarke asked as she shook Jackson awake. Jackson woke up to find Clarke in his face looking upset.

"What are you talking about Clarke?" Jackson replied as he sat himself up. He began dusting the dirt off of himself and looked up to see Clarke staring at him angrily with her arms crossed.

"Why would you get up in the middle of the night while you were injured and go to the river?" Clarke fumed. As the two were arguing the other four were trying to figure a way across the river.

"I'm fine; I can take care of myself Clarke."

"Are you kidding me?! Just yesterday you almost died and now you're going off on your own, it's dangerous."

"I think you're overreacting."

"I was worried about you!" Clarke screamed at Jackson. He was shocked at what Clarke had said. It had been a long time since someone had actually cared enough to be worried about him.

"I'm sorry." Jackson replied standing up and holding Clarke by her shoulders. "I'm sorry that I worried you." Clarke began to calm down and walked away to help the others.

They found a vine that would let them swing across the river. Finn and Jasper tested the vine's sturdiness while the others watched them prepare to swing. As Finn was about to swing, Jasper stopped him when he caught Octavia's eye. Jasper grabbed on to the vine and swung towards the other side letting go and rolling onto the ground. As Jasper stood up he screamed with excitement and the others joined in.

"Let's go princess." Finn told Clarke and she grabbed onto the vine.

Jasper shouted from the other side, "You got this Clarke." Jasper then found a metal sign on the ground and held it up for all to see. "We did it Mount Weather wooo!" The others held their heads up in relief and in joy. All of a sudden a spear came out of nowhere stabbing Jasper in the chest and pushing him up against a tree.

"Jasper. Jasper!" Clarke shouted "No Jasper!" Jackson grabbed Clarke and told her to keep her head down and the others followed. Clarke looked out into the forest trying to see where the spear had come from. "We're not alone."

* * *

**A/N: There's the end of chapter 3, hope you all enjoyed. What do you guys think of Jackson? Is he making the story more interesting, does it work? I plan on finishing all episodes of The 100, but the story will mainly focus on the ground perspective and not so much on the Ark. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Guest: I've read Closer To The Edge and I actually enjoy that story. It actually helped me decide to actually start my own 100 story.  
Guest: I agree that my writing style could use some work and I appreciate your criticism, I tried making it better in this chapter so if you could review once again and tell me how I did it would be appreciated. **

* * *

"Run!" Jackson yelled as he grabbed Clarke's arm and began to run. Only one thing was on his mind, getting her to safety. He didn't even see where the spear came from; whoever threw it was skilled and deadly. Monty, Finn, and Octavia were right on their tails until Monty tripped over a branch. He almost fell into what looked like a skeleton of a human.

"Monty come on get up!" Octavia yelled as she helped Monty back on his feet with Finn's help. Finn couldn't help but stare at the skeleton, "Who are they?" Clarke shook her arm free from Jackson and knelt down and picked up a skull. The skull was almost human but it was deformed.

"What are they?" She wondered.

"We are so screwed." Octavia let out trying to catch her breath. A scream pierced the air coming from the direction of the river, it was a male's scream, and it was Jasper screaming out in pain.

"Jasper. He's alive." Clarke said and started racing back towards the river.

"Clarke wait!" Jackson yelled as he tried to reach her. He was able to reach her in time before she reached the trees, he grabbed her arm. "Stay out of the trees." The group looked past the trees to find Jasper, but his body was no longer pinned to the tree.

"He was right there." Monty said "No, where is he?"

"They took him." Clarke said with the fear clear in her eyes. Who were these people and what did they want?

* * *

The camp was bustling with the kids enjoying their newfound freedom. Some kids were chasing one another playing all kinds of games that they were deprived of when they were locked up. Others enjoyed other pleasures that they couldn't get while locked up, this was clear for everyone to see as a couple made out on a pile of leaves. Wells shook his head as he passed the couple with the clothes of those he just buried in his hands. They didn't get they were in danger, Earth was abandoned for a century, there were no telling what dangers lurked on this planet.

"Hey, where'd you get the clothes?" One of Bellamy's goons asked Wells.

"Buried the two kids who died during the landing." He replied.

"Smart. You know I'll take it from here." The goon responded as he made a move for the clothes.

Wells pulled the clothes away from the goon, "We share based on need, just like back home."

"You still don't get it, do you, Chancellor?" Bellamy's voice said as he came out of the capsule shirtless with a girl. He then proceeded to give the girl a kiss.

"This is home now. Your father's rules no longer apply." Bellamy then grabbed a shirt from the clothes Wells held. Wells made a move towards Bellamy, but was blocked by Bellamy's goon. "Oh, no, no, Atom. Atom, hold up." Atom then moved away from Wells.

"You want it back then take it." Bellamy said trying to provoke Wells. Wells shook his head and dropped the rest of the clothes and everyone around rushed to the clothes.

"Is this what you want chaos?" Wells asked.

"What's wrong with a little chaos?" Bellamy responded as he put on the shirt he took from Wells.

A girl's scream could be heard through the camp and Bellamy and Wells went to the source of the scream to see Murphy holding a girl above a fire. Next to the fire were the bracelets that let the Ark know how the kids' vitals were holding up. "Bellamy, check it out. We want the Ark to think the ground is killing us, right?" Murphy pushed the girl's face closer to the fire. "Figure it'll look better if we suffer a little bit first."

"Let her go!" Wells yelled as he pushed Murphy off of the girl. He turned to Bellamy, "You can stop this."

"Stop this? I'm just getting started."

Murphy then punched Wells in the face. The two began to fight as Wells responded by punching Murphy in the stomach as he escaped Murphy's choke hold. Murphy backed away to get a running start and picked Wells up and brought him to the ground. Murphy began to punch Wells in the face but Wells blocked them with his arms. Wells then turned the tables on Murphy by switching their positions so Murphy would be on the receiving end of Wells punches. Wells then picked Murphy up by the shoulders and started to slam his head into the ground. It looked as if Murphy was done and Wells got up off of him.

"Don't you see you can't control this?" Wells said to Bellamy. Wells turned around to see Murphy up grasping a knife in his hands.

"You're dead." Murphy said as he made his move towards Wells.

"Wait." Bellamy said getting in between the two of them. He then held a knife of his own and dropped it at Wells feet. "Fair fight."

Wells picked up the knife and got into a fighting position. Murphy slashed with his knife and got Wells arm. Murphy then raised his knife prepared to stab Wells. "This is for my father!" Wells was able to grab Murphy's arm and turn it making him drop the knife, allowing Wells to bring his knife to Murphy's throat.

"Wells!" Clarke yelled out as she entered camp followed by Finn and Jackson. "Let him go!" Wells pushed Murphy to the ground away from him. Murphy got back up and tried racing back towards Wells, but Bellamy caught him in time. "Enough, Murphy." Bellamy saw Octavia leaning on Jasper clutching her leg. "Octavia. Are you alright?" Bellamy took Octavia from Jasper helping her gain her footing.

"Yeah." Octavia let out.

"Where's the food?" Bellamy asked.

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather." Finn replied as he sat down on a rock.

"What the hell happened out there?"

"We were attacked." Clarke said.

"Attacked by what?" Wells asked.

"Not what. Who." Jackson said entering the conversation. "There are people here, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last grounder, and whoever these people are they're not friendly."

"It's true, everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us." Clarke began to explain.

"Bad news is that doesn't mean the grounders won't kill us." Jackson added.

Wells looked around getting a grasp of the situation, "Where's the kid with the goggles?"

"Jasper was hit. They took him." Clarke replied then saw Wells wrist without his wristband. "Where's your wristband?"

"Ask him?" Wells motioned to Bellamy.

"How many?" Clarke questioned Bellamy.

"24 and counting." Murphy replied for Bellamy holding one up smirking.

"You idiots." Clarke started. Jackson knew what was coming she was going to tell everyone about the Ark. "Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us!"

Bellamy replied, "We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same?" He looked around and could see everyone eagerly listening to his words. "We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm, it makes you a prisoner." He pointed to the sky, "They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The grounders should worry about us!" Everyone cheered for Bellamy, making a riot.

Clarke shook her head and walked away followed by Jackson and Monty.

"What do we do now?" Monty asked.

"Now we go after Jasper."

* * *

Clarke was in the drop ship gathering supplies into her bag. She was frustrated with how it had all turned out; the people didn't listen to her. She could feel herself being overwhelmed with everything she felt like crying. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Jackson behind her. She didn't have time to wipe away the few tears that had escaped her eyes. Jackson wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"It'll be alright Clarke." Jackson said as he grabbed her hand gently. Clarke felt as if she should pull away, but in this moment when it seemed like everything was against her she accepted it.

"You don't know that." She replied as she returned to stocking her back with supplies.

"That's true I don't know that, but what I do know Clarke is that you're strong. I know that you will get through this and be better. You're a leader Clarke, and the others may not see it right now, but they need you. They need the smart, headstrong, and beautiful Clarke to lead them. And when they realize that I'll be there protecting you."

Jackson was tired of being a monster, for most of his life he was nothing, he wasn't happy on the Ark, at least not truly happy, but Clarke made him feel like he could be better than what everyone thought he was. He would protect her with everything he had, and he would give into his emotions. He owed it to himself to be truly happy once in his life.

"Beautiful?" Clarke questioned turning back to Jackson. Jackson was about to respond but he stopped when the door opened and he heard Wells.

"There you are. When my father said they didn't leave us anything, he really meant it."

Clarke noticed Wells arm, "It's just a scratch." Wells assured her.

"Keep it covered. It could get infected." Clarke eyed Wells backpack. "Nice pack."

"Yeah, seat belts and insulation. I also packed part of the parachute, figured we could use it to carry out Jasper."

"Good. Give it to Jackson." Clarke motioned over to him. "You're not coming with us."

"My ankle's fine and if you think I'm letting you go with him you're out of your mind."

"It's not your ankle, Wells, it's you. And he saved my life."

"You came back for reinforcements. I'm gonna help."

Monty walked into the conversation, "Clarke, he's right. We need him. So far no one else has volunteered."

"I'm sorry, Monty, but you're not going, either."

"Like hell I'm not. Jasper's my best friend." Monty responded getting upset with the idea of him not going.

"You're too important. You were raised on Farm Station and recruited by engineering."

"So?"

"So food and communication." Clarke pointed to Monty's head. "What's up here, it's gonna save us all. You figure out how to talk to the Ark and I'll bring Jasper back." Clarke turned towards the drop ship entrance to see Finn. "Hey. You ready?"

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither should any of you. That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy from 300 feet."

"So what, we let Jasper die?" Monty said.

"That's not gonna happen." Clarke reassured Monty. "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such an adventurer. You're really just a coward."

"It's not an adventure, Clarke, it's a suicide mission."

Clarke shook her head and exited the drop ship. Jackson turned to Finn, "I'll watch out for her like I always do, Finn I may not have known you long, but I never took you for someone who would abandon someone in need and they call me an animal."

* * *

Jackson then followed Clarke out of the drop ship towards Bellamy and Octavia. He could hear Octavia telling her brother about her encounter with the giant snake.

"You could have been killed." Bellamy said with concern in his voice.

"She would have if Jasper didn't jump into save her." Clarke said

Octavia struggled to get up on her leg, "You guys leaving? I'm coming, too."

"No, no not again." Bellamy said helping Octavia back down.

"He's right; your leg will only slow us down." Clarke added. "And I'm here for your brother."

"Well what about Jackson, he was injured jumping in the river to save you." Octavia snapped. "If I'm not going then he shouldn't either."

Clarke gave Jackson a look that said you have to stay, "You have to be joking Clarke I'm not letting you go looking for Jasper without me. And I don't trust Bellamy with you."

"You're still recovering from your injuries, and I'll be safe because Bellamy has a gun."

"My injuries are fine Clarke; I'm going it isn't up for debate."

"Excuse us." Clarke said to the others and grabbed Jackson and pulled him away from the group.

"Clarke you are out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you go out there with an armed Bellamy and only Wells to protect you." Jackson then noticed Clarke was smirking. "What the hell's so funny Clarke?"

"I know that you wouldn't let me go without you there."

"Well if you knew that then why try to make me stay?"

"I don't trust Bellamy, and he'll probably end up bringing one of his goons with us. So follow us from a distance and watch my back."

Jackson shook his head and chuckled, "God you're devious, always thinking ahead, but we got to sell it."

Clarke nodded and began to yell at Jackson, "I don't want your damn protection so stop following me!" Clarke then slapped Jackson across the face and stormed off.

* * *

Jackson waited for Clarke's group to be a good distance ahead of him and then he snuck out of camp. There was no way that he was going to leave Clarke alone with Bellamy. He didn't trust Bellamy or any of his goons, he knew Wells would do everything in his power to protect Clarke but that didn't sit too well with Jackson. He kept his eyes on Clarke watching her, making sure that she was safe from all the dangers of Earth and from their own people.

* * *

**A/N: There's the end of Chapter 4, hope you all enjoy it. Also holy crap the finale wow was not expecting that. Constructive criticism is much appreciated, till next time. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: During this chapter you will get some flashbacks of Jackson giving him some more background, it will also introduce a new character that will have an impact on Jackson.  
uh-sup: I will still have scenes with Clarke and Bellamy, along with Clarke and Finn. Your ramblings are actually very helpful, I've gotten a couple ideas just from reading your review. Thanks and I'm glad you are enjoying the story. **

* * *

"You're sneaking out of camp?" Jackson turned to see Finn standing there with his pack ready to go.

"So what if I am, you going to try to stop me?" Jackson replied back to Finn. He didn't hate Finn, he just didn't like the way he was with Clarke.

"No, I'm going to meet up with the group. You gonna join me?"

Jackson thought about Finn joining the group and it upset him a little, but it worked out in his favor. Jackson led Clarke to believe that his injuries weren't that serious, but they still stung. If Finn was there he could help Wells protect Clarke from Bellamy and Murphy. "I'll follow you guys, I don't trust Bellamy or Murphy and if anything happens I'll make myself known."

"Alright I'll get going now." Finn was about to head off to meet the group but Jackson grabbed his arm.

"You make sure nothing happens to her alright, if I can't be there to protect her at least you'll be there." Finn nodded and left. As Jackson watched Finn leave he could feel the pain in his side returning. The river snake had got him pretty good when he dove in to save Clarke, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. After years of fights he had gotten pretty good at dealing with pain. _"I'll make you feel pain like you've never felt before!"_ Jackson shook his head as that painful memory crept its way to the surface of his thoughts. That person was stuck on the Ark and there was no way he could hurt him anymore or the people he cared about.

* * *

"Hey, hold up." Bellamy called out to Clarke racing over to her with his gun in hand. The gun it gave him a sense of control and power, as long as he had that he would flaunt it. "What's the rush? You don't survive a spear to the heart."

"Put the gun away, Bellamy." Wells said making a move forward.

Murphy got in his way and pushed him away, "Well, why don't you do something about it, huh?" Murphy said egging Wells on.

Clarke was tired of listening to this; they were wasting time arguing with one another, "Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. That doesn't mean we have time to waste."

Bellamy grabbed Clarke's wrist, "As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go."

Clarke pulled her wrist away from Bellamy's grasp and got up in his face, "The only way the Ark is going to think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?"

Bellamy smirked, "Brave princess."

"Hey." The group turned to see Finn come from the trail behind them. "Why don't you find your own nickname? You call this a rescue party? Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."

"Better late than never." Clarke said with a smile as she followed Finn.

"I like to think so." Finn replied looking back at Bellamy making sure he wasn't making anymore moves. "I saw Jackson on my way here; you really think its smart having him follow us?"

"Yeah, I trust him to watch my back. I mean he's been doing it ever since I got locked up."

"That's not what I meant, is it smart since he got injured?" Finn asked looking at Clarke to see if she was worried.

"He told me he was fine, and he seems like he's alright." Clarke replied with a slightly worried look on her face.

"I'm sure he did, but he doesn't think when it comes to you. You know that."

"As soon as we find Jasper, and get to camp I'll take another look at his injuries. He'll be fine; he can take care of himself." Clarke said trying to convince herself that Jackson would be alright.

* * *

Jackson had seen the group split up into two separate search parties, one consisting of Clarke and Finn, the other Bellamy, Murphy, and Wells. As he crept down into the bushes to avoid getting caught he slowly followed Clarke and Finn. Jackson kept clutching his side as the pain continued to worsen with each step, and in his mind he kept going back to the pain he endured on the Ark.

* * *

"_Come on Jacks, you got to keep your fists up if you don't want to bruise that pretty little face of yours." His friend Avery laughed, Avery was about 6"4 with combed back black hair. His skin was a nice tan color and he had a tattoo on his hand of a skull. _

"_You're an ass Avery." Jackson laughed as he held his fists up and went for a jab. Avery skillfully dodged the jab and gave Jackson a body shot. "Shit!"_

"_Got to keep your guard up if you want to even join the fights, like I'm going to let my little brother enter just to get pummeled, you know the only person that gets to pummel you is me." Jackson shook his head at his older brother; Avery always looked out for him ever since they were kids. _

"_Kids!" A female voice called out as the brothers were horsing around in their rooms. "It's dinner time!" The two brothers quickly ceased their horseplay and ran into the common area and sat down at the table. The kids looked to their mother as she prepared the table. She had long brunette hair and she had hazel brown eyes. She was 5", but that didn't stop her from being feisty when she needed to be._

_They were not brothers by blood, but by family. Both of them orphaned and taken in by the same woman after their parents had been floated. Her name was Katie Morrows, and she took in all children that needed care. She was a kind and gentle woman, everyone on the Ark loved her. Some even thought she was a gift from God, in a time of suffering she thought of others rather than herself. She raised Jackson and Avery from the age of 4 to 12, it was then she was murdered. She was taken too soon, and it destroyed Jackson and Avery. The two brothers once so close went their separate ways, but they met again, they met in the fights. _

"_Avery!" Jackson yelled as he dodged his brother's punch. "What the hell are you doing?" He tried to yell over the crowd of people yelling "Kick his ass!" _

"_What does it look like Jacks? I'm fighting." Avery kicked Jackson in the right leg crippling Jackson's movement. _

"_We don't have to do this! Let's just stop this!" Jackson pleaded as he tried to regain his balance. _

"_Oh I'll stop this!" Avery yelled as he tackled Jackson to the ground. Avery was on top of his once brother and began to punch him in the face. Jackson tried to protect himself, but Avery was relentless as he kept delivering punch after punch. _

"_Why?" Jackson let out as he got weaker with each punch. _

"_Why, you have to ask why!" Avery yelled as he punched Jackson in the ribs. "It's your fault she's dead Jackson, you got our mother floated!" _

_All of a sudden the people began to flee; Jackson turned his head to see Ark security tackle Avery off of him. He struggled to get up, and he limped towards the exit. If Jackson got caught he'd be locked up, he wasn't letting that happen. He would escape in the crowded chaos, he turned back to see Avery being struck with batons. Avery's eyes met Jackson's and he knew that his brother was gone. _

"_I'll make you feel pain like you've never felt before!" Jackson heard Avery yell over the crowds. Their once happy family was gone, and Avery blamed Jackson for Katie's death. Jackson cried for his brother as he kept limping down the hallway. He had no clue where he was and where he was going; he just needed to get away from it all. His strength had finally left him as he fell down against a crate and he just sat there. He had nothing, everything was gone. _

"_Hey, are you alright?" Jackson tried to open his eyes to see who the voice was, but he was too weak. "Hey, come on stay awake! I'm going to get some help." _

"_Who are you?" The words escaped Jackson's lips as he was slowly falling deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. _

"_Griffin. Jacob Griffin, now stay here and I'll be right back." _

* * *

Jackson lost his brother and his mother on the Ark, but in that loss he found the Griffins. He owed Jacob his life, so no injury was going to stop him even if it killed him. He would protect Clarke from everything that would harm her.

* * *

"Guess we got more in common than meets the eye, huh?" Bellamy said to Wells as he watched him stare at Clarke and Finn walking together.

"We have nothing in common." Wells replied facing Bellamy.

"No?" Bellamy asked, "Both came down here to protect someone we love." Bellamy smirked as Wells face was clear with emotion. "Your secret's safe with me, course for you its worse. Clarke has Jackson and Finn vying for her attention, it's like you're not even there. Clarke doesn't even see you." Bellamy left Wells to think about what he had said.

Bellamy was right was all Wells could think, Clarke was furious with him and she wouldn't even give him the time of day. It was fine if she got closer to Finn, but Jackson was a different story. Wells had heard all about Jackson from his father, he was the worst of the worst. From what Wells heard, Jackson put plenty of people in the hospital taking up precious Ark resources. Wells didn't trust Jackson even if he did protect Clarke.

* * *

"I've been thinking about Mount Weather." Finn began as Clarke and he trudged through the dense forest. The birds could be heard chirping through the air, and the sound of a river flowing further ahead. "How come they didn't attack until Jasper crossed the river? It's not like we were being quiet and they didn't know we were there."

Clarke thought for a moment and then it became clear to her, "They waited for us to cross. The river's a boundary."

"Which means Mont Weather is off limits."

Clarke scoffed, "How are we gonna get those supplies? What are we gonna do for food?" Finn turned his head in thought, but then it came to him. The flowing sound of a river was nearby.

The two headed towards the river and stared in amazement, in a place so dangerous there was still so much beauty to be seen.

"Wow." Clarke said as she gazed at the river in awe. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about water." The two headed towards the river, as Clarke filled her canteen with water, Finn decided to dunk his whole body.

"Oh, yeah." Finn said as he was feeling refreshed from the water. He stared at Clarke filling her canteen and splashed her with water.

"Come on, Finn. We don't have time for this."

"Clarke, we've been hiking for hours. We need to take a break."

Clarke sighed, "I'll take a break when we find Jasper." Clarke motioned for Finn to get out of the water, "Come on." Finn tripped over a rock and Clarke caught him. It was a clear look that Finn gave that told Clarke she was going in the water. "No, no." Clarke said as she tried to pull away. "Finn! Don't!" She yelled as she was pulled into the water. "Damn it, Finn!" Then Clarke began to feel good, the water surrounding her body. It had been awhile since she felt this good. "Oh, wow. Ok, maybe just a minute."

"Yeah." Finn replied, he watched Clarke smile as the water dripped from her hair. "I think I know why you're so hell-bent on finding Jasper, why you're always taking care of everyone else."

Clarke laughed, "Now you sound like my mother. No, go on. This should be good, the delinquent psychiatrist."

"You couldn't save your father." And with those words Clarke went from smiling to once again closing herself off. She turned her head away from Finn so she wouldn't have to look at him, but something just off shore caught her eye. She made her way to the shore and it was clear, it was blood smeared over the rocks.

Clarke looked over to Finn worried, and looked back to the rocks. Something was underneath the rocks; Clarke knelt down and picked it up. It was Jasper's goggles. "Jasper. He was here. We should get the others."

Finn knelt down and put his fingers on the blood, it was still fresh. "We're close."

* * *

Jackson was followed Clarke and Finn as the regrouped back with the others. He wasn't really happy about being so far behind, but any closer and Bellamy and Murphy would be able to see him. He wasn't happy about Finn and Clarke's little tryst in the river either, but he would have to deal with it. All of a sudden he heard a moaning, it must be Jasper. Jackson quickly followed the group to the source of the moaning to see Jasper strung up. He watched as the group made their way towards Jasper, and then Clarke screamed as she fell into a hole. Jackson was too far away from the group but that wasn't going to stop him from running as fast as he could. He could see it was Bellamy holding Clarke's arm preventing her from falling into the hole. He could see it in Bellamy's face; the thought of letting Clarke go entered his mind. He felt relief once Clarke had been pulled up, but he was already running and he wasn't going to stop.

He ran straight for Bellamy and tackled him to the ground. Jackson pulled a curved knife from his pocket and held it towards Bellamy's neck. "You were going to let her fall weren't you?!" Jackson was seeing red, all that he saw was his knife against Bellamy's neck, and he thought wouldn't it all be better if he was gone. It would just take a little pressure against his artery to make him disappear. One of the dangers towards Clarke gone, with a flick of his wrist, it just seemed so easy to give into his dark side.

* * *

**A/N: So cliffhanger! There's the end of Chapter 5, I think I'm going to usually split up episodes by three. I will also have a couple scenes on the Ark play out between Raven, Abigail, and another character who I'm sure you can all guess after this chapter. Also I will not be updating until sometime after the 25th since I have two spring semester finals before that date. Hope you all enjoyed, review, follow, or favorite. Till next time.**


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